In A Vase On Monday – Easter Preparations

Welcome to this weeks In A Vase On Monday when I am linking up with Cathy at Rambling In The Garden to join in with her challenge to find something from the garden to put in a vase every week.

I was inspired by the little tea set that Cathy used in her post last week to use my favourite miniature tea set from the days when my daughters were young enough to delight in such things.I cannot remember where I found this little set, but it has held a special place in my heart since its arrival and is still on display to this day. Every easter I like to include it in my easter decorations.

The flowers that I have used this week to fill the tiny teapot are a few violas from some plants that I put in pots early in the autumn to replace the summer bedding – they have flowered beautifully all winter, helped no doubt by the warm temperatures.

The books I have included are my current garden reading. When looking up violets in the Language of Flowers I read that in Victorian times they were considered a symbol for modesty and humility. They were often sold by the very poor girls in Victorian days who made their living selling flowers. This quote from social reformer Henry Mayhew was particularly poignant: “Flower-sellers breathe the sweet air of heaven, and handle nature’s fairest products, but these girls pass their lives in sunless rooms, and seldom see a flower unless it blooms in some East End market.” The idea of the language of flowers developed in victorian times has great romantic appeal, but the reality of life for the poor was harsh.

The book of poetry, Flora Poetica, was one I bought after it was recommended by Cathy at Words and Herbs and I can thoroughly endorse her recommendation – this is a lovely collection to dip into when you are taking a break from the garden. One of the joys of blogging are the ideas and inspirations that I come across whilst reading other lovely blogs – things to bake, books to read and places to visit as well as endless lists of plants that I desire!

Likewise ‘Writing The Garden’ is a fantastic book for dipping into when you stop for a cup of tea. I have long been fascinated by gardeners who write and this book brings together a collection of snippets from garden writers spanning two centuries and including pieces by Vita Sackville-West, Gertrude Jekyll and Sir Roy Strong.

I am so happy to be seeing the sun again this week and hope that I will be able to fit in quite a few hours outside in my garden. There are bare root roses and peonies that need planting, overwintered hardy annuals that are ready to be released from their pots and given a home in the garden, summer bulbs to plant and plenty of seeds to sow in the greenhouse.

When I am not gardening or catching up on my reading this week I will be starting preparations for the easter weekend by dusting off my recipes, preparing the easter tree and digging out my favourite vases for showing off the tiny flowers that make this time of year so uplifting. With easter this year will come the changing of the clocks and an extra precious hour of light in the evening. I am so looking forward to the garden starting to bloom, the leaves returning to the trees and hedges and finally gardening without a coat on again!

Thank you to Cathy for inspiring us all again this week – do pop over to her blog to see what see and the others have made this week.

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